Graphite
Graphite is a non-oxide engineering ceramic. It has the lowest thermal conductivity among non-oxide engineering ceramics. In addition, it has the lowest tensile strength and a very low density. The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare graphite to other non-oxide engineering ceramics (top) and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Compressive (Crushing) Strength
90 MPa 13 x 103 psi
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
21 GPa 3.0 x 106 psi
Flexural Strength
80 MPa 12 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
18 MPa 2.6 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Maximum Temperature: Corrosion
180 °C 360 °F
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
220 °C 430 °F
Thermal Conductivity
6.0 W/m-K 3.5 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
4.9 µm/m-K
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Calomel Potential
250 mV
Density
1.8 g/cm3 110 lb/ft3
Common Calculations
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
6.7 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
53 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
2.9 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
8.7 points
Thermal Shock Resistance
12 points
Followup Questions
Further Reading
Springer Handbook of Condensed Matter and Materials Data, W. Martienssen and H. Warlimont (editors), 2005
CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook, 4th ed., James F. Shackelford et al. (editors), 2015